“Blatant Fraud”: USCIS Operation Uncovers Fraud In 44% Of Pending Immigration Cases In Minneapolis

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI, has announced the results of Operation Twin Shield, a large-scale fraud detection effort conducted across Minneapolis-St. Paul from September 19 to 28. Minneapolis is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the U.S., reflected in the election of Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American who became the first refugee and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

The operation marked the first targeted surge of its kind, with immigration officers investigating more than 1,000 pending cases flagged for fraud or ineligibility concerns, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration.  USCIS said officers carried out over 900 site visits and interviews, uncovering fraud, non-compliance, or security issues in 275 cases—about 44 percent of those reviewed.

As of now, USCIS has issued Notices to Appear or referred 42 cases to ICE, with four individuals taken into custody. The agency expects those numbers to increase as administrative investigations are completed. The effort focused on marriage and family-based petitions, employment authorizations, and certain parole requests, in line with Executive Order 14161, which emphasizes protecting the United States from terrorist, national security, and public safety threats.

USCIS announced in a release this week that officials said the operation exposed a wide range of schemes. In one case, a man admitted to paying $100 for a falsified Kenyan death certificate to claim a marriage had ended; his spouse, still alive and living in Minneapolis with their five children, was very much present.

Another case involved the son of a known or suspected terrorist who overstayed his visa and had previously been denied multiple immigration benefits for marriage fraud. A petitioner confessed to marriage fraud only hours after swearing during a USCIS interview that her marriage was genuine. In yet another case, an immigrant manipulated an elderly U.S. citizen spouse in a fraudulent marriage that also involved elder abuse.

“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud. We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws. With help from ICE and the FBI, USCIS’ Operation Twin Shield was a tremendous success—hundreds of bad actors will be held accountable,” said USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow.

“Immigration fraud undermines the integrity of our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law, and poses risks to national security and public safety. Under President Trump, we will leave no stone unturned.”

According to USCIS, this is the first time the agency has deployed resources at this scale in one geographic region. Officials emphasized that, unlike during the Biden administration, immigration officers are now empowered to thoroughly vet applicants as required by law and to pursue immigration fraud wherever it is encountered.